Tosh: (Lead) an astrophysicist. In his young career after college, he has become a successful and rising star in the world of astrophysics with his research papers. He's also a workaholic. He spends a lot of time at work and so his social life has taken a backseat. He's not married and doesn't have kids, so he's thrown himself into his work head first. Through his research, he has learned that our sense of time is actually linked to the expansion of the universe (aka, The Big Bang Theory), which says that the universe started as a really compact ball of energy that exploded sending countless particles flying out in every direction and that all that matter is still flying forward in every direction causing the universe to constantly expand in size. So what we perceive as the forward march of time comes from the forward expansion of the universe. His mother died two years earlier. He’s always had a difficult relationship with his father on account of their beliefs, but they had a falling out after his mother died.

It’s late. Tosh is at his desk simultaneously typing out a research paper and eating pizza. His desk is a mess, it looks as if he lives there. Just about everyone else has gone for the day, except Tosh who’s a workaholic, his boss who’s on her way out and the janitor.

His boss passes by with her coat and briefcase on her way out the door.

BOSSGo home Tosh! It’s late. The stars will still be there in the morning. [Pause] Get some rest.

TOSHSee ya boss!

She disappears out the door and the janitor who’s been cleaning around the office comes up to Tosh’s desk.

SAMMYYou need to move back into your apartment so I can finally get this place cleaned the way it’s supposed to be. Do you ever get out of this place?!

TOSHWhat do you mean! Then I wouldn’t get to hang out with you!

Sammy bends down to pick up an opened box sitting next to the trash with a bible in it. It has a message that reads “Son, it’s been too long. I’m just worried about you. We should talk."

SAMMYWhat’s this?

TOSHJust something my father sent.

SAMMYYou don’t talk to your father?

TOSHMy father doesn’t talk, he preaches.

SAMMYHow long has it been since you saw him?

TOSHAbout two years. Ever since my mother died and I told him I didn’t believe in Heaven. He’s too religious. He reads my research papers and sends them back with notes about why religion trumps science.

Just then the computer starts beeping with an alert. Tosh leans in to get a better look.

TOSHOh my God. That can’t be right!

Sammy looks over and then continues cleaning.

Tosh starts clicking and typing feverishly, then pauses. Fear washes over his face. He gets up and runs over to the door to try to catch his boss but she’s already in a cab and it’s pulling away. He pulls out his cell phone and tries to call her but the call doesn’t go through. He runs back in.

SAMMYWhat’s going on sport?

TOSHThis is really bad! I don’t know what to do.

SAMMYWhat is it.

Tosh takes a moment, thinking about whether he should tell Sammy.

TOSHThis is gonna sound absurd but we have about 3 hours left before… time reverses.

Sammy looks at him like he’s lost it. He chuckles a bit.

SAMMY(Mockingly:) That does sound absurd. How could that possibly be?

Tosh pauses for just a minute to figure out how to explain this in layman’s terms. He goes over to his desk and pulls out a balloon that he uses to explain The Big Bang to students who come to the lab on field trips.

TOSHEver since the Big Bang 13 billion years ago, the universe has been expanding outward.

He blows up the balloon to reveal drawn on stars and planets and the words “BIG BANG” in large letters.

TOSH The stars, the planets everything in the universe has been moving away from that initial point of explosion. This forward motion as we move away is what we perceive as the forward march of time. Time moves forward because we are literally moving forward. But now the computer has detected that the universe has started to collapse back into itself.

He loosens the balloon to let the air out.

TOSHSo, if the universe starts to collapse back in and we start moving backward, time will be moving backward.

SAMMYMaybe the computer is wrong.

TOSHNo, it’s very accurate. It measures the distance of certain groups of stars from Earth every few hours. It’s detected that a large portion of the universe is now closer to Earth than when it last measured.

Sammy looks frightened. He sinks into a nearby chair.

SAMMYThree hours?

Tosh sits down too.

SAMMYWill we feel it when it happens?

TOSHProbably not. Given how quickly it has happened in other parts of the universe I think it will be too sudden for us to feel it.

SAMMYSo there will be no more present or future. Only the past…

TOSHI need to tell everyone.

He picks up the phone receiver.

SAMMYNo. If you let everyone know, it will all turn to chaos. Why make everyone sad and scared? It’s better if they don’t know it will happen.

Tosh considers this and puts the phone down.

SAMMYI’m going to go home and spend these last moments with my wife and kids. What about you, son?

The “son” resonates with Tosh.

SAMMYDo you have anything you want to do before it’s too late?

Tosh picks up the bible he tossed aside earlier.

TOSHYes.

He gets up and grabs Sammy’s hand with both his hands.

TOSHThanks for everything Sammy.

He grabs his coat, rips the address off of the box his father sent and heads out the door…